Electric contacts are provided in electric switching devices in order to close and/or keep closed a current path through the switching device, or to open it and/or keep it open. The respective contacts are here arranged on mobile or fixed contact carriers, perhaps also fixed at the housing. This separate embodiment of the contact on a contact carrier has become common due to the extensive requirements set for contacts. During switching processes, brief events of electric arcs occur, and thus material is removed, and the material is subjected to high thermal stress. Additionally, the contacts are exposed to environmental influences and they shall demonstrate good electric features over an extended period of time, which however may be compromised by oxide layers. The contacts are therefore produced from particular materials in order to meet the respectively high requirements. Common contact materials for electric contacts include precious metals, such as silver or gold. These materials are rare and expensive.
It is known to produce contact carriers, with the contact carriers being made from copper and/or a copper alloy, on which an electric contact comprising a silver alloy and/or a gold alloy is arranged. In accordance with common method, it is provided here to produce the contact carriers from an expensive blank in the form of a bi-metal comprising a copper alloy for the contact carrier and a precious metal alloy as the contact material for the actual contact. Here, a large portion of the precious metal alloy is removed from the blank due to the production method used. Here it is provided, for example, that the majority of the precious metal alloy is removed from the area which shall form the contact itself using a punching process. However, by this economical production technology the area of the contact to be formed is stressed to such an extent that in spite of subsequent embossing steps at the edges of the contact, quality problems can arise, which require appropriate quality assurance steps in this area and lead to high rejection ratios.